As the fighting continued, Chai Wu suddenly noticed that most of the lights originally used for illumination at the south end of the bridge had gone out, and the most direct impact was that the archers in the distance were finding it increasingly difficult to locate their targets.
"Can Xiang Yu really defeat our army all by himself?" Chai Wu clenched his fists so tightly they cracked. He finally understood that trying to deal with Xiang Yu's chaotic army was futile. "Shieldbearers, form ranks! Surround Xiang Yu! Archers, prepare yourselves! Shoot him whenever you have the chance! Don't worry about friendly fire!"
The shield-bearers continued to assemble and form ranks, surrounding the hundreds of soldiers who were besieging Xiang Yu, along with Xiang Yu himself. Even the bridge was guarded by shield-bearers to prevent Xiang Yu from breaking through.
Xiang Yu unleashed another sweeping attack, instantly killing more than ten enemy soldiers. However, a volley of enemy arrows followed.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Clang clang clang...
Xiang Yu brandished his halberd, deflecting the arrows, while his black horse, Wuzhui, charged forward, breaking through the enemy ranks and dodging the dense rain of arrows, before rushing straight towards the archers' formation.
How could Chai Wu let Xiang Yu have his way? He hurriedly commanded his army to block Xiang Yu. Although he was amazed by Xiang Yu's fighting power, he was also increasingly puzzled about Xiang Yu's purpose.
"Die!" Xiang Yu charged in front of the shield formation and swept his halberd horizontally, slapping several shield soldiers away.
However, the enemy forces were too numerous, and the breach they had just opened was immediately blocked by other shield soldiers. There were still several dense human walls between them and the archers' square, making it difficult to break through. Xiang Yu had no choice but to change direction and continue his charge.
"Hahaha... Xiang Yu is finished now, tighten the encirclement!" Chai Wu perked up. His tactics worked. It seems Xiang Yu wasn't so invincible after all.
Just then, the sound of arrows piercing the air rang out again.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Puff puff puff...
Ahhh...
But this time, it was not Xiang Yu who was attacked by the rain of arrows, but the archer phalanx that Xiang Yu had just failed to break through!
Caught off guard, the Han army suffered heavy casualties in an instant.
"There are Chu soldiers on the bridge!"
Someone shouted, and countless people turned their gaze toward the bridge.
There was no thunderous sound of hooves, but the torrent of Chu cavalry suddenly broke through the darkness and appeared abruptly in Chai Wu and the others' sight!
"Ah! We've fallen into their trap! Light the fire quickly! Set the bridge on fire!" Chai Wu finally understood what Xiang Yu was trying to do.
From the moment Xiang Yu stepped off the bridge, everyone's attention was gradually drawn to him. His overwhelming martial prowess led to a massacre, and before they knew it, all the lights at the south end of the bridge went out, and their field of vision shrank.
More importantly, the Chu cavalry made surprisingly little noise when they ran, which was completely drowned out by the shouts of battle from the other side.
Xiang Yu couldn't let the enemy cross the bridge to burn it, so he had already stormed to the bridgehead and killed whoever was carrying a torch.
"Quickly, fire the rockets!" Chai Wu had long been prepared for a surprise attack by the Chu army to support Xiang Yu. Although Xiang Yu had swept away most of the dry firewood on the bridge, the bridge surface was already covered with flammable materials such as oil, so it could still be lit.
Whoosh!
Several arrows with burning grease on their tips were shot toward the bridge surface where firewood had been piled up, and at least half of them hit their targets.
However, the scene of a large fire breaking out on the bridge that Chai Wu had envisioned did not occur. The few flames that remained were quickly extinguished by the Chu cavalry that followed.
That wasn't all. At that moment, the second wave of arrows unleashed by the Chu cavalry rained down, and Chai Wu's troops, positioned too densely, suffered heavy casualties in an instant.
As more and more Chu cavalrymen charged across the bridge, Chai Wu's face turned ashen. How could this be?!
"General! This bridge can't be held! Let's retreat quickly! If we don't run now, we won't be able to escape!" Deputy General Liu Mang, with an arrow in his shoulder, came to Chai Wu.
Chai Wu suddenly awoke with a start, shouting, "Where do you think you're going? Don't run! The entire army must form ranks and meet the enemy! Drive the Chu army off the bridge! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"
Liu Mang was completely bewildered, and then he saw Chai Wu snatch a horse from the side, turn around, mount it, and ride away!
"So that's how it is!" Liu Mang instantly understood. Chai Wu was afraid that the entire army would be routed and ambushed by the Chu army from the rear, leading to the annihilation of the entire army.
Just as Liu Mang was about to find a warhorse to escape, a gust of wind suddenly swept past his head.
Whoosh!
puff!
"ah!"
Poor Chai Wu, who had just escaped not far, let out a scream and fell off his horse...
Xiang Yu's archery skills were terrifying!
Chapter 43 Battle of the Huai River (Part 5)
Xiang Yu was just worried about not being able to find Chai Wu when the latter thoughtfully stood out from the crowd. Xiang Yu didn't hold back and shot him through with an arrow.
Of course, this cannot be blamed on Chai Wu; how could he have imagined that Xiang Yu could shoot so accurately in such a dark night?
Hao Jiu wasn't too surprised that Xiang Yu had such superb archery skills. There was a historical story about Xiang Yu shooting Liu Bang across the river with an arrow, though some say it happened at the Honggou Canal, while others say it didn't.
At that time, Liu Bang listed ten crimes of Xiang Yu on the other side of the river, which made Xiang Yu furious. He picked up the Overlord Bow and shot an arrow at Liu Bang, which hit Liu Bang in the chest. Liu Bang was lucky to survive and even had people claim that he was shot in the toe by Xiang Yu.
Regardless of where the arrow hit, the distance was quite far, which shows how strong Xiang Yu's archery skills were.
However, some experts say that it was not Xiang Yu who shot it, but rather a crossbow cart, because the range of a bow and arrow is not that far.
However, they overlooked one problem: the crossbow bolts used on the crossbow carts were very large. If one of these bolts had hit Liu Bang in the chest, he would probably have died on the spot. Moreover, although the crossbow carts were powerful, their accuracy was not very high.
Therefore, Hao Jiu believed that with a powerful bow like the Overlord Bow, whose range far exceeded that of ordinary bows and arrows, coupled with Xiang Yu's superhuman strength and eyesight, it was not impossible for him to shoot Liu Bang across the river.
The battle at Tuyi Bridge ended quickly. Few people obeyed Chai Wu's order to form ranks and meet the enemy before his death, and the Han soldiers who could escape scattered in all directions.
Soon after, the entire Chu army crossed the Tuyi Bridge. Yu Ji, under the protection of Xiang Guan and Xiang Han, also arrived at the camp south of the Tuyi Bridge. However, Yu Ji did not see Xiang Yu, because Xiang Yu had led his army to pursue the enemy.
Of course, as the enemy troops scattered and fled, Xiang Yu did not intend to pursue all the defeated soldiers, but only the ones who fled towards the East Floating Bridge.
Chai Wu was killed by Xiang Yu with an arrow, which was not in Xiang Yu and Hao Jiu's original plan. It was an accident, and the accident was that Chai Wu gave Xiang Yu an opportunity.
"A fool wouldn't pass up a good opportunity," Hao Jiu thought, and he couldn't possibly miss the chance to capture two bridges in a row. He decisively suggested that Xiang Yu continue to attack the East Floating Bridge.
Xiang Yu thought the same way. After making some simple arrangements for the defense of the Tuyi Bridge, he led the Chu cavalry who had crossed the bridge first to catch up.
"Pass down the order: surrender is not accepted in this battle! Drive them back to Huaibei! Follow me!"
"Yes, sir! Slaughter the enemy!"
"Hey! Defeated troops ahead, prepare to die!" Xiang Yu roared, which made the fleeing enemy soldiers feel like crying. They instinctively quickened their pace and fled desperately towards the East Floating Bridge. Some soldiers even threw away their armor and weapons, just to run faster than others.
The two armies marched one after the other along the Huai River towards Dongfu Bridge. Some of them might have realized that Xiang Yu intended to follow them to break through the defenses of the Dongfu Bridge camp, but what could they do even if they knew?
Only if they reach the East Floating Bridge and enter the camp will they have a chance of survival.
As for whether the garrison at Dongfu Bridge could stop Xiang Yu, who cared? Even General Chai Wu was killed by Xiang Yu with a single arrow!
Soon, the infantry that were running behind were caught up by Xiang Yu. The more shrewd ones changed their escape route and fled south instead of going to the East Floating Bridge.
In their panic, some jumped into the Huai River, while others, wanting to take a gamble, simply lay down on the ground. Those who dared to turn back and fight to the death were all slaughtered by the Chu cavalry along the way.
Xiang Yu did not waste time on the enemy infantry; his real target was the enemy cavalry ahead, as only by catching up with them could he seize the bridge.
Finally, we arrived at the Dongfuqiao camp.
"Open the camp gates quickly! I am General Liu Mang! We have been ordered to come to support Dongfu Bridge! The Chu army is about to attack Dongfu Bridge! Open the gates immediately!" Liu Mang shouted, brandishing his sword.
The defenders of the Dongfu Bridge never expected that the Tuyi Bridge would fall so quickly. They thought that Xiang Yu was about to attack the bridge from the north bank. Moreover, the junior officer guarding the gate knew Liu Mang, so he decisively ordered the gate to be opened.
Liu Mang breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw someone open the camp gate. He didn't really want to deliberately hide the fact that Xiang Yu was following behind, but if he didn't hide it, it would be terrible if they didn't open the gate for them.
"Quickly close the camp gates and defend with all your might! The Chu army has just captured the Tuyi Bridge, and Xiang Yu has already led his troops to attack from the south bank!" Liu Mang changed his words immediately after rushing into the camp. Without stopping, he headed straight for the pontoon bridge, intending to cross it to Huaibei.
The defenders of the East Floating Bridge also noticed that the so-called reinforcements were all in a miserable state, with their helmets crooked and armor askew, clearly having just suffered a defeat!
However, in the middle of the night, half of the people were sleeping in their tents, and most of the rest were defending the pontoon bridge. Only a small number were standing guard here. How could they defend it?
The Chu army, which had been shouting and clamoring for battle, fell silent as they approached the enemy camp at Dongfu Bridge, until the camp gates were swung open...
"Charge in! Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, is here!" Xiang Yu roared and suddenly accelerated.
...
Northeast of Tuyi, the former temporary camp of the Chu army.
The 30,000-strong cavalry army led by Wang Yi, Yang happy, Lü Sheng, Yang Wu, and Lü Matong finally arrived at this place.
"Hmph! Xiang Yu escaped quickly, what kind of Hegemon of Western Chu is he? I think he's just a coward," Yang Xi said angrily.
"Oh dear, what did I say? Xiang Yu isn't stupid. How could he possibly fight our army of 30,000 with only 6,000 men? Even if we rush forward desperately, it'll be in vain. We might as well rest and continue the pursuit at dawn. Anyway, it won't be so easy for Xiang Yu to cross the Huai River." Wang Yi yawned. His backside was almost chafed raw from the long chase on horseback.
"Why don't we rest here for the night? Let's send scouts to find out where Xiang Yu is first, and then we can pursue him after dawn." Lü Sheng looked at Yang Wu and Lü Matong beside him.
"I have no objection." Yang Wu was also starting to feel overwhelmed.
Lu Matong frowned. "Gentlemen, based on my understanding of Xiang Yu, he is by no means a coward. His departure this time is most likely to cross the river overnight."
Wang Yi scoffed, "Crossing the river overnight? Lü Matong, you keep calling him King Xiang! Xiang Yu is too scared to stay in Huaibei, and you're still not afraid of battle?"
"Stop talking nonsense and quickly send scouts to scout along the Huai River! If Xiang Yu manages to cross the river and escape overnight, all our efforts will have been in vain!" Yang happy shrugged.
Lü Sheng sighed inwardly. The reason they had marched so quickly to this place was because Yang happy, Yang Wu, and Lü Matong had strongly advocated for it. Although he and Wang Yi also wanted to take Xiang Yu's head, they preferred to proceed cautiously.
"Xiang Yu has six thousand soldiers. If they use rafts to cross the river, even if they can transport a hundred cavalry at a time, it would take sixty round trips. Add to that the time it takes to make the rafts, and they won't be able to finish crossing by dawn. Doesn't the strategist have arrangements on the south bank? Shouldn't they seize the opportunity to attack while the enemy is crossing?"
"Xiang Yu might not use a raft to cross the river; isn't there a bridge already there?" Lü Matong cursed inwardly, thinking that these Qin generals had forgotten the lessons of the Battle of Julu.
Wang Yi laughed loudly, "Hahaha, the two generals Chai Wu and Fan Kuai are guarding the south bank. They can't possibly not even hold a bridge, can they? Even if Xiang Yu is desperately trying to seize the bridge right now, he will surely return empty-handed and end up slinking away to build rafts to cross the river, right? Lü Matong, don't think that just because you flattered the King of Han a few times you can secure your position as a general. A horse boy is still a horse boy."
"General Wang, you've gone too far. Peace is the most important thing," Lü Sheng advised.
Just then, someone came galloping in on a fast horse.
"Generals, something terrible has happened! Xiang Yu has already captured the Tu Yi Bridge and is now attacking the Dong Fu Bridge! The Chu army's offensive is fierce, and the pontoon bridge will soon fall!" The messenger was none other than Liu Mang.
"Hiss..." Everyone gasped in shock.
"Quickly reinforce Dongfu Bridge! We absolutely cannot let Xiang Yu take this bridge as well!" Wang Yi roared.
With both bridges lost and the others demolished, wouldn't they have to build rafts to cross the river?
How could this be!
Chapter 44 Battle of the Huai River (Part 6)
Wang Yi wished his entire army of 30,000 men could rush to Dongfu Bridge immediately, his previous composure completely gone.